The team met with the CIC management and were given an overview of the PNG coffee industry and taken through how MoA partnerships were carried out by CIC and its partners.

The Governor said that he had realized the plight of his people in regards to road access and transport hardships to reach markets and he will be working closing with his technical team and CIC to get things done.

After meeting with the CIC management team, the Governor and his team were given a tour around the Awute coffee factory outside Goroka and got to see first-hand coffee processing and roasting on site.

Mr Kavo said that he had proposed the idea of building a new coffee processing facility in Kaintiba and this has been supported by the Gulf provincial government. “I’m very impressed with the positive response from CIC today and we have agreed to enter into a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).

The MoA will be signed on Thursday 8th of September, 2016 in Port Moresby to allow a team of technical officers from CIC and the Gulf provincial government to do a feasibility study in the Kaintibia area for the establishment of a wet and dry factory to proceed thereafter.

The Governor has committed K1 million as a preliminary cost to get the program rolling. He said that with the CIC’s district and provincial partnership program, he hopes this can better assist coffee farmers in his province.

This project will assist the populace around Kaintiba, Kotidanga, Aseki, Menyamya and Marawaka to access the facility to process their coffees and have them possibly transported from Kaintiba direct to markets readily available.

Mr Kavo will be meeting with his people in the province later on in the week to discuss the recent outcomes from the meeting with CIC.

CIC CEO Mr Charles Dambui thanked the Governor and his team for the proposed initiative that will contribute in market access for the farmers in his province and said that a technical team from CIC will be deployed after the MoA signing to do an assessment in the Kaintiba area.

Gulf province has two districts and ten LLGs, of which Kaintiba and Kotidanga LLGs contribute to coffee production in the province.

CIC management team together with the Gulf Governor Hon.Havila Kavo and his provincial administration team at the CIC headquarters after a meeting on Wednesday 31st August, 2016.Gulf Governor Hon Havila Kavo receiving his coffee gift packs from Michael Awute at the Awute coffee factory outside Goroka town on Wednesday August 31st, 2016. With him are Gulf DAL project officer Paul Kuno, Director DAL Gulf Gerard Avoa, CIC Manager for Inspections and Regulations Michael Waim and Senior Coffee Inspector Johnem Pusa.